Rome/Genoa MUN 2012

Tuesday, February 28, 2012

After the win by our ICJ delegates and a surprise debate given by the General Assembly of the Model U.N conference, we took the moment to say our last goodbyes at the disco party at the end of the night. Dancing around to music from all over the world along with people from all over the world had to have been the highlight of the night. As well as thrilling and fun, these moments were also sad because we knew these moments were going to be our good-byes from the many interesting and experienced debaters we had been with for the past couple of days. After the disco party, and saying our final good byes, the Bullis Model UN Club took a last walk to the gelato ice cream store where we ate with our newly made friends and shared emails and Facebook names for the last moment. Then we took the final walk down the long streets of Italy which would be our last. This trip was a culture shock to most of us as it represented a new look out at life creating new ideas, friends and relationships with the people that one would never think would even happen. I myself as well as my classmates will miss Italy and the many friends made there. - Idrienne

Monday, February 27, 2012

Saturday was off to a great start when Jamie, Cameron, and I were able to cab to our palazzo (where our International Court of Justice was meeting), rather than taking the 20 minute trek through the vibrant Genoa streets. After arriving at the ICJ building, we took a group picture and chatted anxiously with other advocates and judges as we waited to hear the verdict of Jamie's and my case, Uganda vs. the DRC. After months of preparation, tension filled the room as the Co-President of the ICJ stepped up to the podium to deliver the verdict....Jamie and I, advocates for Uganda, had won! Later that day, at closing ceremonies, Bullis continued to win, as Cameron was voted "best judge." All in all, it was an exciting and fun-filled ending to an amazing trip! - Alexa Adler

Friday, February 24, 2012

After a tiring day of fruitful debate and diplomacy, we returned to our beloved Hotel Continental. We quickly dressed and met in the hotel lobby by 7:00 pm. Seeing how our dinner reservation was booked for 8:15 pm, Ms. Vardi and Mr. Green delivered the enthralling news to us that we were able to explore and shop in the sensational city of Genoa until 8:00 pm, meeting by our favorite "gelateria", Grom. After wandering through the winding Genovese streets and stores such as H&M, Foot Locker, Zara, and United Colors of Benetton, we finally migrated back to our esteemed ice cream shop just off of Via San Vincenzo where we received a warm welcome from our new friends from the GeMUN conference. After a quick ten minute chat, the group finally set out for dinner at Le Mani in Pasta. The restaurant, tightly yet comfortably fitted in a small nook on Via del Molo, embodied classic Italian culture and hospitality through its multi-faceted cuisine. After several plates of salami, proscuitto, local cheese, and fresh bread, we commenced our dinner. The group had a variety of meals including fresh swordfish and pasta, steak with walnut sauce, and seafood ravioli. Filled up to the brim with Italian sustenance, we proceeded back to Grom for a candied touch to the end of our day. After our usual walk down Via Garibaldi and finally onto Via all'Arsenale di Terra, we arrived at our hotel, fatigued yet satisfied from another amazing day in Genoa. Seemingly, gelato was not an effective method to keep our taste buds at bay. As a result, Ms. Vardi, Mr. Green and a few other group members and I progressed to a nearby restaurant to savor a bit more of the Italian culture through a quick break for tiramisu, tea, and coffee. Clearly, the dessert did not disappoint, seen on the spotless plates and minuscule espresso cups. By 11:00 pm, everyone within the antiquated tea room of the Hotel Savoia knew that yet again, another astounding and awe-inspiring day in Genoa was finally at a close.
By: Kourosh Kalachi

Our day today was fairly long. We woke up at about 6:50 A.M. because we had to leave around eight o' clock for our conferences. At the meeting place, a building right in front of a gorgeous fountain, our group dispersed and I headed to my own conference in the Economic and Social council representing the delegation of Morocco in a room known as the "Accademia Ligure" on the first level of the building. Today during the meeting, our debate was on age-based discrimination. We had a long open debate regarding this topic as I went over resolutions from the Russian Federation and Ecuador which were successfully passed. Then we finished off the day with an amendment from China. Then we headed back to our hotel, changed clothes, and had about an hour of free time for shopping in the city. Overall it was an enjoyable day.
By: Arman Salmasi

Thursday, February 23, 2012

The moment that we have all been waiting for has finally arrived. The first day of the Genoa Model UN Conference has all of our delegates eager to deliberate and discuss their ideas to resolve issues within their committees. Our first committee session began at 9:00 a.m with locations scattered all throughout the beautiful city of Genoa. The experiences within each committee seem to be different seeing that there are a wide range of problems to resolve. I am representing the Kingdom of Morocco in the Mediterranean Conference and we discussed post civil war reconstruction in Libya. Majority of our first session was spent lobbying and trying to create resolutions for the next two days. My favorite part of the committee session was meeting a wide range of new people. I worked with students from Kuwait, Italy, France, Germany, and Egypt to try to answer the question of stability in northern Africa. Another interesting part of my day was being transported as witness for the Uganda vs. Democratic Republic of Congo case in which Jamie and Alexa handled. I represented a war analyst and ex-Rwandan soldier living in Uganda which was a great learning experience. After the first committee session ended we had time to spare and went to lunch with our new friends. Then we went to the opening ceremony which was exciting. Our very own delegates, Lauren and Adam, representing Morocco and Costa Rica respectively, gave amazing speeches that reflected the views of our countries and represented the Bullis School well. To end our day, we went to a gelato shop, which was a perfect ending. - Tyler

Our day began at 8:30 when the International Court of Justice was called to order. Alexa and I are advocates for Uganda in a case against the Democratic Republic of Congo. I read a 10 minute opening speech, which presented the general information of the case. Alexa and I presented evidence and cross-examined witnesses. We greatly appreciated the help of Tyler and Kourosh, who acted as our witnesses. The advocates from the DRC and Alexa and I cross-examined them asking questions pertaining to our case. Following our questions judges from the court, which included Cameron, asked the witnesses questions. The majority of our case was completed today, but the final verdict will be delivered tomorrow morning.
We attended the opening ceremonies, which was an interesting event. Delegates, ambassadors, and heads of different committees gave speeches about model U.N. and the upcoming events in the conference. The opening ceremonies also included songs and dance, which was nothing like I have ever experienced at previous conferences. At night we attended a pizza and karaoke party, and had gelato for dessert. We look forward to the next two days of the conference. - Jamie Smith